94.9 Dark

[Timmy]

Am told (haven't checked) 94.9 FM is silent. Am also told (not verified) the Blaze is on 97.5 for the moment.

[seattlefollower]

Confirmed! Apparently the 97.5 booster is going to stay off in Utah County?

Smart move by MillCreek to use their silent frequencies!!!

www.theblazeonline.com/

[seattlefollower]

Their take on the matter. They're trying to be an "X96" and spin themselves as local.

Which... I think in a lot of ways Millcreek is the last local broadcaster that tries anything 'new' in SLC-Ogden-Provo.

www.theblazeonline.com/newsdetail.cfm?newsID=1054

I like the bonus songs on the online stream too.

[rog]

Welcome to the revolution boys. This is not "spin". We are local and we're part of a great rock community here. And proud of it! We're not trying to be anybody other than ourselves. I've got nothing but love for everyone at X96 but they aren't the only local station in town. Engineering improvements will continue so that coverage and reception are maximized. There is a lot of hard work still to be done. Thanks for posting!

-ROG

[michaeljwyo]

As I reported on another board, if you're gonna use the boosters, you probably should turn on the main transmitter, otherwise I'm pretty sure it isn't legal. And the main isn't on. Not that I care to listen since I'm not a fan of the format. Still, if the FCC happens to be around they're gonna sock it to ya. I think the last thing Millcreek needs right now is a hefty fine.

Michael n Wyo

[bigbopper]

I think its pretty common knowledge that Millcreek doesn't like to run the mains when they are in Manti (103.9, 105.1) or near there... 107.9 spends a lot of time off the air with only boosters, so if 97.5 isn't running off the main, I wouldn't doubt it. They do it on purpose citing repairs or whatever they can to make it 'legal'

[CAwasinNJ]

The only way it would be legal is if the booster is listed as a licensed aux, as far as I know. The Salt Lake booster for KUDD is also a licensed aux. The other aux doesn't match any booster I can find.

The good news for them is that the FCC isn't likely to do anything unless someone complains. Not sure of the likelihood of a complaint though, especially if a competitor decides to do it.

I agree. They should have the mains on. At least with KUDD there's a logical argument as to why they wouldn't run it. The multipath is awful. At least that will be going away with the move to Humpy.

Best of luck to Millcreek. They've been dealt some tough hands over the past few years and they're still trying to make it work. They deserve a lot of credit for that. It will be tougher with the rimshot signal, even with 105.1 in Utah County. On the other hand, it's almost Back to the Future, since The Blaze started out on a rimshot signal, but back then it was 102.3 (now Bustos' La Gran D).

[CAwasinNJ]

To follow up on seattlefollower's question, it definitely sounds like 97.5's Ogden booster is off air as of when I post this. From the TUR listening post near Ogden I can pick up a signal, but it's extremely weak. It could be that either they turned on the main or I'm getting a slight signal from the Bountiful booster. I'll get a better idea when I head down to Salt Lake tomorrow, assuming it hasn't changed by then.

94.9 is on air right now, but it seems to be running some kind of bare-bones automated format. It's definitely a loop, confirmed by yes.com, and there's noticeable dead air between songs. For posterity, here's the list.

:00 Limp Bizkit - Nookie
:04 Green Day - Brain Stew
:08 Creed - Higher
:13 Endeverafter - Baby Baby Baby
:17 Operator - Nothing to Lose
:21 Evanescense - Bring Me to Life
:25 Weezer - Say It Ain't So
:29 Puddle of Mudd - We Don't Have to Look Back Now
:33 Airbourne - Running Wild
:36 Nirvana - Come As You Are
:40 Bush - Glycerine
:45 Kid Rock - Amen
:49 Billy Idol - Dancing With Myself
:54 Pearl Jam - Jeremy
:00 Legal ID KHTB Provo
{repeat}

[CAwasinNJ]

97.5 update.

In mid afternoon, it really seemed like the main and the Salt Lake booster were on air, but the Ogden and Bountiful boosters were off. Tonight, the Bountiful booster was on. Not sure about the Ogden one.

[dspete]

949rocks.com was taken by Citadel on 8-8-08? Looks like it will stay rock. Probably a good call cuz the numbers was good for that format and 95% of the listeners will probably stay with them.
Now The Blaze needs to get a billboard thing going on to let the Blaze listeners know about the move up the dial. I'm sure some of them just think they are listening to the same station?

[henry]

I wonder if Citadel is really shooting themselves in the foot. Wasn't the old 94.9 competition for KBER? Keeping the format means they are cannibalizing 101.1. It doesn't make sense - unless they hope to kill 97.5 ... then they can flip 94.9 to something else.

Honestly, isn't KUUU holding a pretty stead cume? I'm surprised the don't flip 94.9 rhythmic.

[rog]

Aug 14, 2008 7:48:13 GMT -7 dspete said:

95% of the listeners will probably stay with them.

Can we put a wager on that?

[CAwasinNJ]

Rog, i think a lot of that depends on the word being out. Before the keys to 94.9 were turned over, was there any mention of the move? I would think so, since it was known in advance, but I don't listen much to the station. if there was a good amount of mention, you'll keep a lot of your listeners. Some people are just not going to pay attention no matter what and will punch up 94.9 and if it sounds good they'll leave it.

I can confirm that 94.9 is running liners that say "94.9 Rocks" now. It could be a stunt, but I'm not sure. Henry has a great point that this gives Citadel 2 rockers that seem to me (not knowing a whole lot about the nuances of new rock formats) to be competing. Given that Citadel doesn't have a lot of money to throw around right now, would they waste it on a new liner package that isn't going to last long? Seems unlikely, but who knows. Maybe they were done in house. Also, they're *front* selling the songs that Otto Mation is playing. That's different.

I still think it makes sense to eventually put Country Legends there eventually when they sell the 107.5 facility.

[rog]

No we were forbidden to mention the move before it happened. We did a guerilla campaign to "Save The Blaze" before we moved that made it possible to contact our listeners once the move happened. Plus we had 2 days of darkness on 94.9 causing many listeners to seek us out.

I agree that P2s and P3s aren't as interested and are more passive. They'll listen to whatever. We have a strong marketing campaign going up that will let them know what's going on. And we've been doing viral campaigns for a week to get our P1s.

Everything you're hearing on 94.9 is NOT new. It's all a direct copy of what we've been doing for 4 years. The front-selling, the positioning statements, the imaging, etc...

Sad. We'll see what happens. I just want it on record that Pete thought 95% of the listeners would stay with 94.9. He might be right but I'm betting against him. ;D

[dspete]

Rog,
I really hope that word of mouth is working right now...
I disagree with Citadel on that change.
And the only wager I would place with you because I work in Radio, but i would place a wager that some computer female voice will be taking my job soon Luckily I work for a very small radio company and the owners like local talent to be heard. I'm with ya!! Big Corp Radio Bites!!

I wish you the best of luck and Blaze ON!!!!!!!!

Just a quick Tahoe forecast here ....What happened to Summer it's chilly today..Better go find the shovel and change that oil in the blower

DSPete